Successful placement and attachment of an orthopaedic implant to patient bone is essential in securing successful patient outcomes for people undergoing bone replacement surgery.
Some of the disadvantages and problems with current techniques are discussed below with reference to the acetabular region, however such issues are common across all regions where bone replacements are conducted, including the knee, elbow, shoulder to name a few.
Typical acetabular augmentation occurs during the process of total hip replacement. During the augmentation process, an acetabular implant is placed within the patient's acetabulum and is designed to engage the head of a replacement femoral implant or femoral implant.
Failure or sub-optimal incorporation of the replacement implant is common and may be associated with one or more design features of implants currently used for an acetabular or other bone replacement. Such features include the polished surfaces present in common bone implants that make osseointegration difficult, sub-optimal levels of surface scaffolding associated with the implant, difficulty in positioning and alignment of the implant, or structural disadvantages that result in the inability of the surgeon to effectively place, secure and pack bone graft behind the implant.
It is the object of the present invention to address one or more of these issues to improve success rates of bone replacement surgeries through improved implant design, manufacturing methods and/or methods for implant use, or at least to overcome some of the disadvantages.
Alternatively, it is the object of the present invention to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
All references, including any patents or patent applications, cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the reference states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents forms parts of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.